Food chat: What should I grill as a main dish for a big group?
Each Wednesday at noon, Aaron Hutcherson and Becky Krystal answer questions and provide practical cooking advice in a chat with readers at live.washingtonpost.com. Aaron and Becky write and test recipes for Voraciously, The Washington Post’s team dedicated to helping you cook with confidence. Here are edited excerpts from a recent chat.
Q: I’m hoping for inspiration for a main dish. We’re going to have a group of 12 at our cabin. I can’t come up with anything interesting for dinners for a group of that the size. The restrictions are that we prefer to cook on the grill so we don’t heat up the cabin and we don’t have a full kitchen – limited spices and utensils. Any major prep has to be done ahead of time and we’re an hour away from the nearest grocery store. There’s only one small fridge, so space is another concern. I’m about to default to brats again. We did carnitas over Labor Day weekend and in the past have just grilled a big chunk of meat like a turkey. Help?
A: Hey, nothing wrong with grilling some links! Sounds like ideal cabin food to me.
Another possibility would be packet cooking. With a big group like that it might be nice to let folks build their own meal. So you could cut up or even marinate the proteins in advance, and let people assemble their foil packets with their choice of vegetables (pre-prepped by you or the store) and maybe one or two spices or blends. -Becky Krystal
Q: Why do some recipes call for some type of chili pepper and then add black pepper? At first glance it seems like overkill on hot or spicy flavors. But I’m assuming that each lends a unique flavor and used together offer something else. Can you explain why black pepper is used?
A. Your instinct that each lends a unique flavor is correct. Chile peppers come in a variety of flavors, including smoky, fruity and spicy. And while black pepper does carry some heat, it can also carry a plethora of other notes, including citrus, pine, floral and bitter.
– Aaron Hutcherson
Q: Can you leave butter overnight (or two) as my mother used to do? Then I wouldn’t have to soften it before using in recipes.
A. I probably wouldn’t go two nights, but I’ve definitely left butter on the counter overnight (or for most of a day). The only caution I would exercise is if you live in a really hot place or your kitchen runs warm. You don’t want the butter to start to melt.